United Airlines will resume flights to Israel this Thursday, accelerating its return to Tel Aviv following rival Delta’s decision to relaunch service to the country.
The Chicago-based carrier announced Friday that it will restart daily nonstop service between its Newark hub and Tel Aviv this Thursday, with two daily flights scheduled to begin June 6.
“This resumption follows a detailed assessment of operational considerations for the region and close work with the unions who represent our flight attendants and pilots,” United said in a statement.
The move comes two weeks after Delta became the first U.S. carrier to resume service to Israel, following the May 4 Houthi missile attack on Ben-Gurion International Airport that prompted a wave of cancellations by foreign airlines.
Since then, Delta’s daily flights from New York have been fully booked, underscoring strong demand on the lucrative transatlantic route despite ongoing regional tensions.
United, which operated more flights to Israel than any other U.S. carrier before the war, is offering roundtrip tickets to Newark for as low as $850 next week in a bid to lure passengers back—about half the price of fares on El Al and Delta flights, which are nearly sold out.
“It is crystal clear that once United’s management saw that Delta and her crew were staying overnight in Israel that they persuaded the United Labor Union to return to Israel,” Mark Feldman, CEO of Ziontours told JNS on Sunday. “We will still recommend caution to purchase tickets on United as their policy of forcing stranded clients to make their own way to Israel to/from Athens or Europe if they pull out is an outlier with the other foreign airlines.”
Delta, which has a codeshare agreement with El Al, highlights that in the event of flight cancellations, passengers can be rebooked on Israel’s flagship carrier.
Still, United’s return is expected to boost competition on the heavily traveled Tel Aviv–New York route, driving down fares as the busy summer season kicks off.
Dallas-based American Airlines has yet to resume its New York–Israel service, remaining the only U.S. legacy carrier notably absent from the market since suspending operations following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which ignited the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Meanwhile, KLM resumed service to Israel this weekend. Flights from Amsterdam to Tel Aviv will include a stopover in Larnaca, Cyprus, allowing crew members who prefer not to stay in Israel to disembark. Return flights to Amsterdam will operate nonstop.
